Period shaming behavior among male students in Luang Prabang Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic: A cross-sectional study.

Period shaming is defined as any negative and/or disrespectful behavior in relation to the menstrual cycle and menstruating girls. It is suggested that period shaming may limit girls' potential and ability to fully participate in school and community activities. This study aims to examine the prevalence and factors associated with period shaming among male students in Luang Prabang Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). This was a cross-sectional study which was conducted during November 19-27, 2020. This study included 1,232 male students from secondary school grade 9 to 12 in Luang Prabang Province, Lao PDR. Informed consent was obtained from the participants, parents/guardians, and teachers prior to data collection. The data was collected by a self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression was employed to examine factors associated with period shaming behavior among male students. The mean age of the participants was 16.4 years old. Of all the male students, 18.8% admitted that they had shamed girls during their menstruation at least once. Of those who committed period shaming, they shamed girls some of the times (63.2%). Male students who had consumed alcohol during the last month before the data collection day (AOR = 1.83, 95% CI 1.32-2.55, P<0.001), had heard of menstruation (AOR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.27-2.44, P<0.001), and those who had attended activities/classes about sexual reproductive health (AOR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.29-2.78, P<0.01), were significantly associated with period shaming behavior. In conclusion, a single focus on providing biological health education may not be enough to address menstrual stigmatization and taboos. The school curriculum should integrate other life skill education with reproductive health, such as respect and gender equality, to encourage behavioral changes among male students, to address menstrual stigma and to support and empower girls' menstrual health at school and in the community.

Menstrual health and factors associated with school absence among secondary school girls in Luang Prabang Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic: A cross-sectional study.

In Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), information on school sanitation and menstrual health among secondary school girls is limited. This study aimed to explore knowledge and practices surrounding menstrual health and to identify factors associated with school absence due to menstruation among secondary school girls in Lao PDR. The study involved 1,366 girls from grade 9 to grade 12 in six secondary schools in Luang Prabang Province. Data on socio-demographics and menstrual health of the girls and data on school toilets was collected. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with school absence due to menstruation. The mean age was 15.8 years old. The average age of menarche was 12.9 years old. Of 1,366 girls, 64.6% were shocked or ashamed when they reached menarche and 31.8% had been absent from school due to menstruation in the six months before this study was conducted. Factors associated with school absence due to menstruation were age ≥ 16 years old (AOR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.37-2.34), higher income (AOR = 2.38, 95% CI 1.16-4.87), menstrual anxiety (AOR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.09-2.20), using painkillers (AOR = 4.79, 95% CI 2.96-7.76) and other methods (AOR = 2.82, 95% CI 1.86-4.28) for dysmenorrhea, and disposing used pads in places other than the school's waste bins (AOR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.03-1.75). Living with relatives (AOR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.43-0.95) and schools outside the city (AOR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.38-0.90) were significantly less associated with school absence. Although the association between school toilets and school absence was not examined, the results of this study suggest that school toilets should be gender-separated and equipped with waste bins in the toilet. Furthermore, menstrual education should start at elementary schools and teacher training on menstrual health should be promoted.